THE BEER NUT: What's in my fridge?

The questions I have been asked the most in the 11 years since I began writing "The Beer Nut" column is “What’s your favorite brewery?” and “What’s your favorite beer?”

Usually, people who ask me those questions regret it. I’ll go on a long spiel, listing a dozen or so beers or an equal number of breweries. The answer can take several minutes.

What it really boils down to is, I don’t have one favorite. The better question to ask (and the answer I’ll provide) is, "Who is making the beer I most often have in my fridge?"

You can see a similarity about the breweries I favor. I like breweries that brew a wide range of styles. None of them are known for just one style – IPAs, stouts, sours, etc. Most of my favorite breweries have all of those and much more. The list is presented in no particular order.

Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, Framingham, Mass.

This is not some hometown pick. Jack’s Abby has earned a frequent spot in my fridge with their excellent beers they’ve been brewing since they began. They do everything well, ranging from traditional styles like Sunnyridge Pilsner, to hoppy beers like Mass. Rising and Excess IPL. They do big beers like Framinghammer Baltic Porter, all the way to subtle sours like Cranberry Berliner Sour Lager. There aren't many breweries that do as many excellent beers in a variety of styles as they do. You can add the lineup at their new Springdale Barrel Room to Jack’s Abby's and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any brewery with a more diverse lineup.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, California

Because I write mostly about Massachusetts and New England beers, nearly all of my beer purchases are New England beers. Firestone Walker is one of the few non-local breweries to find a spot in my fridge (which is named Beatrice, ask me why when you see me), at almost all times. The Pivo Pilsner is one of the best pilsners you’ll ever try, and the Luponic Distortion series of rotating IPAs has been great. If you haven’t been drinking their beers, you’ve been missing out.

Night Shift Brewing Company, Everett, Mass.

Although Night Shift may be best known these days for their hoppy beers (The 87, Santilli, the Morph series), the beers I most often end up buying are their German styles, such as Furth (hefeweizen) and Pfaffenheck (pilsner). Their sour beers, such as their series of weisse beers, are quite good, and they do good dark beers such as Awake and Bean Porter. Along with some excellent beers, the Night Shift taproom in Everett is still one of my favorite spots in Massachusetts.

Wormtown Brewery, Worcester, Mass.

OK, let’s get this out of the way. This pick has nothing to do with the fact they brew a beer named after me. I was a frequent buyer of Wormtown before their Norm beer even existed. Be Hoppy IPA is my go-to IPA. I just bought a four-pack of it last week. Sweet Tats is one of the best imperial stouts in New England. The seasonals are excellent and their series of special releases is very good. And, yeah, Norm (a chocolate coconut oatmeal stout) is amazing – I’ll admit to being biased about that one beer, but give the rest a try and tell me I’m wrong.

Lamplighter Brewing Company, Cambridge, Mass.

This is the newest brewery to earn a spot on my list. Each time I go to a store and I see a new beer, I have to try it. I’ve been disappointed exactly one time. Their hoppy beers (Rabbit Rabbit and Pressure Drop) are the exact opposite of disappointment and Sound & Vision is a tasty raspberry sour. This is a young brewery, but I’m excited to see what they’ll have in the future. I expect big things from them.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=646&start=2. Follow him on Twitter @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut